Improvement in



UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE.'

JAMES J. MCOOMB, OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPLYlNG AND SECURING METAL BANDS 0N COTTON-SALES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 59,151, dated October93,1866. v

To all whom it may concern.

Be itknown that I, JAMES JENNINGS MC- OOMB, at present residing atLiverpool, in the county of Lancaster, in that part of the UnitedKingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, a citizen of theUnited States of America, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Ties for Connecting the Ends of Flat Metal Bands orStraps Surrounding Bales of Ootton and other Materials, and in theapparatus for facilitating the connection; and do hereby declare thatthe following is a full and exact description thereof, reference beinghad tothe accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon.

The nature of this my said invention consists of an improvedgrapple-lever for tightening the metal bands and facilitating theconnection of the ends thereof with the improved nipping-ties orbuckles, for one modiication of which I obtained Letters Patent forGreat Britain, dated 3d June, 1863, and numbered 1,390, and whichmodification consists of a small rectangular piece of metalhaving twotransverse longitudinal slotsl formed therein to receive the ends of thehoop-iron or other metal bands used for binding the bales, which, onreference to the specification of the patent hereinbefore referred to,the said slots, cuts, or slits, it will be seen, are formed withreetangular sides and of a length equivalent to the width of thehoop-iron or other metal band. f

v One of the means I take to prevent the drawing or rendering of thebands is to form one of the sides of the slots in the buckle ortie-piece a little shorter than the width of the strap of hoop-iron orother metal to be used therewith, and one or both sides of each slot oropenin g is formed at a convenient angle, so that when the tension comeson, say, the wroughtiron strap the edges in contact with the angularside of the slot will naturally slide toward the vertical side, when onerectangular side is used, by the opposite side of the band sliding downthe inclined side, thus causing the edge of the strap or band to beforced against the right-angular side of the slot, as thenipping-pointof the buckle is a little shorter than the width of thestrap, thereby, in most cases where heavy pressure is used, causing anindentation to be made in the side of the strap,

thus effectually preventing the strap beingsecond slot in the tie-piecein an oblique direction, so as to form acute angles, against which thestrap presses, thus forming a crank in the strap and eft'ectuallypreventing the rendering of the same, as will be readily seen onreference to the accompanying drawings.

This my said invention also relates to an improved compoundgrapple-lever for applying the self-actin g nipping-ties, and for whichpart of my invention I obtained Letters Patent for Great Britain, dated2d June, 1864, and numbered 1,377.

In order to secure the compressed bale it is necessary to apply tensionto the bands to draw their ends together while the bale is underpressure. To do this I have designed the improved grapple shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view; Fig. 2, aninverted plan view, and Fig. 3 a front view.

It vconsists of a handle-lever, a, formed with a forked extremity, theprongs al of which are pointed, for the lpurpose of being thrust in tothe bale to obtain a fulcruln for the lever.

Froj ecting from below the lever is a horn, a2, to which is jointed agrapple-iron, b, by means of a pin, c. This iron is divided up themiddle for nearly half its length, in order that it may embrace thelever a, and yet'leave it free to work upon the coupling-pin c. At itsupper end this grappling-iron is formed with curved horns b', which arenotched at the under side of their extremities to catch onto the topedge of the fastening as it depends from the band the other ends ofwhich it is desired to secure. By thus shaping the end of thegrapple-iron it is enabled to lay hold of the fastening at either sideof the band, as shown in Fig. 3.

rIhe following is the mode of using the grapple: The pointed prongs ofthe hand-lever are thrust into thevbale below, and in aline with thependent fastening, and by depressing the handle the horns of thegrapple-iron are brought over the fastening and caused toengagetherewith; then by further depressing the handle the grapple-iron willdraw down the fastening and bring it within range of the free end ot'the band, which is then to be inserted into the fastening in the usualWay. This being effected, the strain of the grapple is removed, and thecoupled ends of the band Will be held securely by the metal fastening.

Fig. et is one modification of my improved tie or buckle, having one ofthe slots formed in an oblique direction; and Fig. 5 is a plan of thesame, shown with the ends of the bands engaged therewith, which areshown broken olf; and Fig. 6 is a section of the saine. Fig. 7 is a planot' another moditication of my improved tie or buckle, having one of theholes or slots formed obliquely therethrough, and' the other withoblique sides, so that that end of the band is held by the inclinedsides. In this modification the two ends of the hole are shown inclined;but the same may be formed with only one inclined side.

Having now full y described and ascertained the nature of this my saidinvention, and how I believe the saine may be best carried intopractical effect, I wish it to be understood that l do not continemyself to the relative proportions or dimensions of the several parts ofthe improved ties or that of the improved grapple-lever, as the same maybe considerably varied without departing from the invention; but

What I claim as new and my invention is- 1. The peculiar form of theself-acting nippingties or metal-band lock for connecting the ends ofmetal bands surrounding cotton and other bales, as hereinbeforedescribed and set forth, and forming the slots or holes through thesaine in an oblique direction, and also forming the holes or slots onone end a little narrower than the Width of the metal band by formingthe side or sides at an angle, substantially in the manner and for thepurposes hereinbefore described and set forth.

2. The improved construction ot' grapple, jointed to and operated by ahand-lever, having pointed prongs, substantially in the manner and forthe purposes hereinhet'ore described and set forth.

In witness whereof I, the said JAMES JEN- NINGS MCCOMB, have hereuntoset my hand and laffixed my seal this 7 th day of April, A. D. 1866. Y

JAMES J. MGGOMB. [1.. s]

itnessesz WILLIAM WALKER, Y

0f 44 Oat-tlc Street, Liverpool. J. H. REDMOND,

Secretary t0 the above iVm. lVaZker.

Lle

